WORKERS in Sandyford Business Park have claimed that measures put in place by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to improve traffic flow and pedestrian access in the area have actually led to gridlock.
Business owners and employees based in the business park – where thousands of people work every day – claim the measures put in place by the council recently have caused backlogs, particularly for traffic exiting from the estate onto Blackthorn Road.
The council said the new measures included changing the short section of Blackthorn Road, between Burton Hall Road and Blackthorn Avenue, from one-way to two-way traffic.
A council spokesperson said:
“This measure was a response to the many complaints received about traffic speeding and criss-crossing as drivers approach Blackthorn Avenue, which in turn made it very dangerous for pedestrians to cross the roadway safely.
“Likewise, concerns were expressed about the lack of pedestrian priority at Burton Hall Road and Blackthorn Avenue junctions.
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However, Conor Columb, managing director of Lissadell Construction, which is based at Burton Hall Avenue in the Sandyford Business Park, claimed traffic chaos has ensued since the works were completed in early December.
He said the changes have meant that on some occasions it has taken him 20 minutes to travel just several hundred metres from his office on Burton Hall Avenue as far as the junction of Blackthorn Road because of the increased traffic congestion.
“The Blackthorn Road is really one of the main arteries for getting people out of the estate but the council has effectively clogged it up by putting in the two way system,
? he said.
“The estate tends to block up from as far away as the M50. Since the changes were made you basically can’t even pull out of your office block because the road is full of traffic.
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He added:
“I would have thought that somewhere along the way, some part of the estate would benefit but based on the amount of problems around here I can’t see what part of the estate this is benefiting. More people are discommoded by it than those who benefit from it, of that there is no doubt.
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In addition, Mr Columb said that other feeder roads off Blackthorn Road outside the industrial estate such as Carmenhall Road have been clogged with traffic since the changes were implemented.
Southside People has also seen an email sent by another worker which backs up the concerns which Mr Columb raised.
“I work on Ballymoss Road and it too has been a nightmare to get home every evening,
? this email reads.
“I have to choose between taking a right or left hand turn at the top of the road which becomes an insignificant choice when both are at a standstill.
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Another worker in the estate emailed the council, saying:
“Please, please, please put it back the way it was. After a very long day at work the last thing I want to do is spend 20 minutes getting out of the estate.
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A spokesperson for the council said it completed a number of improvements to road surfacing and accessibility measures for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as upgrading a number of signalised traffic junctions into and within the Sandyford Business Park.
He said these modifications were based on the mobility policies outlined in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Development Plan 2010 – 2016 and in the Sandyford Urban Framework Plan 2011 – 2016.
“They aim to alter the industrial appearance of the estate to a business park and in doing so, introduce more sustainable transport and mobility measures,
? the spokesperson said.
“Like all works undertaken by the traffic section, post-construction monitoring is ongoing to measure the effects of these changes and possible modifications which would alleviate the current problems are being considered.
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